In 4 short days I will officially be 30! And I couldn’t be more excited because I’ve been waiting for this since the day I turned 29. I always say my thirties are going to be my best years, and I really believe it!
As I reflect on the last 10 years, I think the better statement is, what didn’t my twenties teach me? My twenties taught me so much about myself and my life. And holy shit, if my twenties were this educational and life changing, I can’t even imagine what my thirties will bring. BUT I’M SO FUCKING READY.
I read this quote that says:
“I think between age 21-29 is (a) phase of hustle, suffering and smiling, depression, overthinking, wondering whether you’ll achieve and make it in life. 90’s babies hope you all right, you will be okay someday. Hang in there, don’t lose hope.” – Girlsmsgs (posted by @girlsmsgs on Instagram)
This couldn’t be any more accurate for me about the ages of 21-29, because wow, that’s a rollercoaster I don’t want to ride again. But I am also so thankful for the ride.
My twenties brought me responsibility for splitting my apartment rent with my parents during my last year of college when I decided that I didn’t want a roommate anymore (also, thanks mom and dad!) and watching the ball drop in Times Square with my best friend, Katie. Year 21, I finished out my college volleyball career, visited my boyfriend's country – El Salvador, graduated with my first bachelor’s degree and then tragically lost my Grandma Martin. Year 22, brought another graduation with my second bachelor's degree alongside my boyfriend earning his first, his acceptance into a master’s program at OU, my first management job out of college at my hometown hospital, and the two of us moving to Athens (my hometown), together, to start our lives. Year 23, I celebrated a year at my job, terminated my first employee, got engaged and then 20 hours later got married at the courthouse. My 24th year consisted of my husband graduating with his Master’s in Mathematics from OU and accepting a job in Cleveland a few months later. And 25, year 25 was the year of our wedding, we traveled to El Salvador for our honeymoon, I moved to Cleveland to join my (then) husband, started my masters program, and we traveled to Spain with two of our best friends. It was a whirlwind of a year! Year 26 was weird, dark, depressing. I started noticing that my life wasn’t going as I wanted it to, and I didn’t know why. It was a year of questioning EVERYTHING. Year 27 was still very dark and depressing. Very little was making me happy and when I wasn’t doing things that I enjoyed I was sad and felt so empty. This year, year 27, also brought a lot of courage. It was the year my grandma Ogg faced her battle with cancer, and won. And it’s the year that I told my husband I no longer wanted to be married. And wow, the emotions that came with that were wild. My 28th year started off very dark and even more depressing than the year before. I was sick, mentally, and was starting to spiral. This was the year that I started therapy. And fuck, do I want to kick myself in the ass for not going sooner. MY 28TH YEAR CHANGED MY LIFE. SERIOUSLY. Without therapy, and the love and support of my family and friends, I would not be in the mental state that I am in today. But nevertheless, I prevailed, and that year I graduated with my master’s in health administration from OU.
And finally, year 29. The last year in my twenties and it has been amazing! Year 29 was the year I truly fell in love with myself. And it’s also the year I fell in love with someone else. It was a year full of laughter, spending time with my family and friends, feeling, healing, living, traveling, and growing. But, like all the other years, there is bad with the good. Year 29 was the year my dad was diagnosed with and beat cancer, I suffered heartbreak, I cried many tears, and I started to creep back into the anxiety and depression that once controlled me, but thankfully I pulled myself out of it. The last year of my twenties, the good and the bad, proved to be a great ending to this decade of my life. And here’s to the next decade: MY THIRTIES!
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